System for numbering motor-cars



i. L. 0mm, I SYSTEM FOR NUMBERING MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATlON FILED JULY 22,1919.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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Patented. July 20, 1920'.

ATTORNEYS eas es. J

JASPER LUCIUS CATLETT, OE VIQICEN NES, INDIANA.

SYSTEM FOR NUMBERING MOTOR-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pafentgd July 20, 192%.;

Application filed. July 22, 1919. Serial No. 312,507.

- its object to provide a simple method of numbering and tagging such vehicles, so arranged that the vehicle may be guarded against theft and theState agalnst loss of fees, wherein a permanent number is'provided for each car, and. a removable record of the said number for each car, the removable records being arranged in sets, distlnguished from each othenin any preferred 1 manner to provide for different years.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a side View of a motor car provided with the improved system of numboring;

Fig. 2 is a plate holder; F

' Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-8 or F ig..2;

Fig. 1 ing a modified arrangement of plate;

Fig. '5 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of indicating numbering by plan view of the removable nor of indicating the numerals by openings.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a pair of plates 1 is provided foreach car 2, the said plates being arranged at any desired point on the car, as, for instance, on the door 3, and a suitable holder 4: is provided for the plate. This holder-is a pocket, having its outer side cut away over the greater portion of. its extent .to expose the plate 1 to view, and the plate carries suitableidentifying matter, as, for

- instance, a number indicated at 5, which is the number of the car, another number 1ndicated at 6 which is the year in which the late is used, and a legend 7 indicating the btate, in the present instance Ind, for Indiana.

The holder is held to the car in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by'the screws 8, and on the car, in the present instance just below the holder,there is painted on the deer data indicated at 9, corresponding to car andthe State abbreviation and the year.

. that on the plate, nainely, the number of the This number is painted on thelcar in'any suitable or desired manneiybut in such mannor as to make an imperishable record, and

the plates "are removable from the holder,

that is, they may be lifted out easily from the holder'so'that-the owner of the car may take them with him when he leaves thecar. In use, the numbers on the car are never changed. That number which is given the car when it is first registered is'carried by the 'carthroughout the life of the car or throughout its use infthe'State in ,question.

In order to easily keep track of these tees be used, differently colored, one set being used 1n odd and the other in 'even'number years. In the even years, 1918 and 1920, a

set. of plates might be used having white backgrounds and black figures, and in the odd'years, 1919 and 1921, for instance, a set could be provided having blue backgrounds and white figures, or any other desired com is a view'similar to Fig. 2, show- 1 bination.

. A car bought in 1918, for instanea would have its'number assigned and with the color of the year. In 1919 the owner of the car would surrender the plate to the State and obtain the other set.

On leaving the car for any purpose, the

owner of the car will'f'remove, the plates ljfrom the holders, dropping them in his pocket and replacing them'when he returns .95 owneiwould surrender one setof p ates and too When the car is traveling without the plates it will be evident at a glance that there is something wrong, and-aninvestigation will be brought about n this manner. Vihth the years designated by number it is obvious that a new set of plates would-be necessaryevery year.

It the different classes of cars are separately registered, as, ior instance, trucks and the like, difiere'nt, colored plates maybe used in the same manner. When theear to the car owner. This system reduces the.

number of figures used in the' umbering of .5 the ear, since on the first of each year the State has only to issue numbers for the new .cars or for those cars which have come into the State during the year. i

It will be understood that in practice the 1:) number plates '1 will be'of steel, with the enameled numbers baked thereon. These plates. will be furnished by'the State and since the enameled. plates must be madeby establishments making a specialty of such work, they cannot be easily counterfeited.

It will be evident that when the numbers are indicated by the openings as shown in Figs.

4c and 6, these openings may be placedat any point onthe car. As shown, they are digs 'rectly beneath the plate 1, that is, at the holder. It is obvious, however, that they may be anywhere else, and the openings are a part of the car, being of the material of the car itself. 7 I y I In Figs. 5 and 6 it will be noted that the starting point at the left is a single drill hole, approximately siX-thirty-seconds ofan inch, and a little larger than t-hos e which indicate the numbers, and this opening" 11 1s so ,ioe low the line. The period is provided for by an opening 12 of the same size and it, like the opening 11', is placed below the line. The same size opening is used, for the naught 13., but the 'saidopening is above the line, the line being a horizontal line-0f any c011.- vcnient length, placed at the point where the openings are tobe made; Those openings representing the numbers 1, '2, 3, l, 5, 6, 7, 8

y and 9 are placed in vertical alinement' above 40 this line and each vertical series is provided with a like'opening indicatedat 14 at the left and at the level of the topmost opening of the series; It will be evident that any opening drilled above this would immediately indicate that thesaid opening did not belong in the series, and that the arrange ment had been tampered with. This drilling system is. used in connection with the en-- ameled plates and the gold-figures on the 5i: side oflthe'can'if desired,'instead of numerals andletters, and the number of the car,

the year and the State may be indicated by the numbering system shown in Fig. 4. In

this arrangement the numerals'are indicated '55 by the number of perforations in the vertical. lines, as, for instance, the numerals 1ndicat ng the number of the car and the year are fqrm'ed by vertioal rows of perforations, the number of perforations 1n the rows 1n d1 eating the numeral. As shown', the car number is 226677, the year, 8, and the is represented by number also, 6 in the present instance. At the left of each'vertical row of perforations there is provided a lock #55 perforation, the said lock perforation being 'tical row, 2, three in a vertical row,

level with the highest numeral indicating perforation so that the addition of another perforation will be immedlately noticed. The large size openings below theyertical rows of openings lndicate periods.

In 6 is shown the ;method of using the perforations. It will be noticedthat one perforation indicates 1, two in a ri er 3 and so on. At the top and at the left hand of each series there is an opening ll which is the lock to prevent addition of other numerals or to prevent changes in the arrangement. It will be obvious that should, for instance, a perforation be added above the so look perforation, such additional perforation-will be immediately noticed and will be evidence that the arrangement has been tampered with.

Iclainu k 35 1. A system of numbering motor cars which consists in providing the ear with'a- -number permanently fixed thereon and forming a permanent record and with a number removable therefrom and adapted .to be removed when the owner leaves the-car, for, the purpose specified,'said removable numbersfbeingon plates having data for indicating the year and State. y

2. A system of numbering motor cars -which consists in providing the car with a number permanently fixed thereon and forming a permanent record and with a number removable therefrom and adapted to be removed when the owner leaves the car, for the purpose specified. I

' 3. A system of identifying and numbering motor cars, which consists in placing on the car permanent identifying data to form a permanent record on the car,an d in providing similar data on a plate removable from the car. and normally mounted thereon.

4t. A system of identifying and numbering motor cars which consists in placing on the car I permanent identifying data to use throughout the life. of the car, and in providing similar data reinovably attachedto the car to be removed therefrom when dej sired.

set of identifying data permanently fixed thereto and forming. a permanent record. and

' a similar set removably'connectedtherewith.

6. A system of identifying and numbering motar cars which consists in placing on the car a permanent record of the number, each numeral of theseries composing the car num her being indicated by a series of vertically arranged openings, and lock opening at one side of each at the topmost Ope ing thereof for thisfpurpose. i

7. Asystezn. of identifying and numbering articles, which consists in placing on the article a permanent record in the form of a number, the numerals. composing the num- 13 0.

5. The combination with a motor car, ofa 115 15 tions of each series indicating a number and gaseous her being indicated by series of openings, the openings of each series starting from a horizontal level, and each series having a lock numher arranged at the side of the topmost.

opening. Y

8. Anlethod of nrimhering articles, which.

consists in substituting series of perforations for the numerals, said perforations ofthe series being arranged one. above the other and in providing a lock perforation at one side of the topmost perforation of the series.

9. A'system of'identifying and numbering articles, which consists in providing in the article series of perforations, the perforahaving a laterally arranged perforation at I the top to prevent the addition oi? other perforations to change the numhermg and n amanufacture, of identifying data permanently made a part of such article and plates carrying the same identifying data connected with the article in suchmanner that they may be easily and quickly removed therefrom or attached thereto to permit them to be carried in the pocket of the owner when the'articleis out of his immediate possession.

JASPER LUCIUS CATLETT. 

